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Monday, May 11, 2015

Time, Time, Time...

Time, time, time

See what's become of me...

It's getting to be "that time of year" as the end of the school year approaches and students and teachers are antsy for summer vacation. All too often, I hear students say "Why do we need to come to school anymore this year? We've already taken THE test!" Educators, I urge you to be innovative and creative in your classrooms and in your buildings so that students still feel there is a purpose to coming to school. Todd Whitaker tweeted it best:

So how do we keep students engaged? Here are a couple of tricks or tips to help you make the most of your time with students.

Keep time moving! Use the countdown feature in Google to manage time in your classroom.

Turn a regular No. 2 pencil into a dice! You could use this little life hack for a variety of purposes. (Thanks, Julie Lyle for the find!)

Each number on a pencil (number several pencils for as many questions you may have) could correspond to a review question. Have students choose and roll a pencil to answer a review question.

Use the numbered pencils in place of popsicle sticks to draw a student's number. Have the "selected" student choose the type of product students will use to demonstrate their knowledge over a recent concept. (Ex: Students could create a talking avatar using Voki or ChatterPix, write a tweet from a character or historical figure's point of view, or illustrate the concept using pencil/paper, Google Drawings, or fingerpainting app.)

PS - Can you name the song and artist that is referenced in this blog post title? If so, leave a comment below or send me a tweet, and I just may send you a surprise!